What's In A Name?
by zotlot
Summary: Kaoru finally gets the truth about what happened on Haruhi and Hikaru's date in Karuizawa.


The twins' final days in Karuizawa were some of the most fun they'd ever had. The Host Club were all staying in their 'cottages' in the area, and were around constantly, doing the mountains of homework they'd been set, playing tricks on Tamaki, and generally relaxing in the beautiful, 'refreshing' atmosphere. With no guests to entertain, and Haruhi 'working' in the bed and breakfast, the two weeks they were there were spent mostly interrupting - and sometimes helping - her chores, and generally enjoying having everyone around for no reason other than enjoying each others' company.

Even Kyoya was around most of the time, which helped with the homework at least. He seemed to enjoy watching them mess around, ready with a handy and seemingly infinite supply of Haruhi-in-middle-school photos as incentive to win. It was unnerving how accurate his predictions on the outcome of their games were, and how good he was at making sure Haruhi never found out about his part in the game.

However, something Kyoya had said near the start of their vacation still troubled Kaoru, despite the happiness of the summer days. "_Did you ever think that maybe the date might go too well and those two would fall in love?_"

He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, Hikaru was still too oblivious and immature to recognise what he felt for Haruhi for what it was, and she didn't seem to return his feelings anyway. But as the days wore on, and he saw them together more and more often, Kaoru started to worry. He had hoped to have at least until the end of the school year with the Host Club all together, as they were now. If the pair of them got together, then Kaoru couldn't see how that could possibly happen.

"Hikaru," Kaoru looked up from where he was packing his suitcase, looking across at his twin where he was reclined on the bed.

"Yeah?" Hikaru didn't look away from his magazine.

"You never told me, how did it go on your date?" Kaoru stopped packing to look up at his brother, who was conspicuously still not looking at him

"Why do you want to know?" Hikaru's tone was deceptively nonchalant and bored, and almost anyone else could have been fooled into thinking he didn't care.

"Well, because you always avoid the topic when it comes off, and I don't want to ask Haruhi."

Finally, Hikaru put down his magazine, and sat up on the bed. he swung his legs around the edge and pushed himself down to kneel next to his twin. "Come on, I'll help pack, it's not fair if you do all the work.

"Hikaru-"

"Are we packing shoes first or on top in plastic bags?"

"Hikaru-"

"Or we could put them in a separate case, although we only have a few pairs of trainers and loafers between us…"

"HIKARU!" Kaoru was sick of being interrupted, "You've gotta tell me before we go home." Hikaru sat back, a defeated, dazed look on his face, and said nothing. Kaoru was suddenly concerned, "Hikaru? What happened?"

"She… she knows our names." Hikaru looked down at the floor, and Kaoru shuffled closer.

"Well, yes, but so does the rest of the school, more or less."

"Yeah but, she knew it was you even when you said you were me. No-one's ever done that before. And she wanted to get presents for you when we all thought you were sick. She _knows_ us."

Kaoru suddenly understood his brother's meaning. She knew their names and she knew which name went with which twin. That was the important bit: she could tell them apart.

Hikaru was always the twin who was less connected with the world, less interested in making friends with other people. It unnerved him to have someone else who could know them as well as they knew each other, someone else in their little world.

Well, it _used_ to scare him. Now it seemed he had come to terms with it, and he had even said two weeks ago how he'd let her stay over with them, if she wanted. Kaoru hadn't said anything, but he knew that it hadn't been an offer to be taken lightly. He wondered if she knew what Hikaru had really said with that casual statement: she was allowed into their world, to connect with them.

The ease with which he said it scared Kaoru just a little. He knew it was selfish, and he was ashamed for even thinking it, but he didn't want to lose his brother to someone else, who had the capacity to steal him away. He knew and liked Haruhi, she was a wonderful person and a great friend. He shouldn't feel threatened, but he did.

That's why he set them up on that date: to pay penance for being so egoistic, so selfish.

"Is that all?" He laughed, trying to brush it off even though he had invited it, "Hikaru, we knew that already."

"No, that's not all," Hikaru's head shook, forlornly "Do you remember the Boss calling me when we didn't show up that evening?"

"Yes." Of course Kaoru remembered, he had spent a horrible few minutes before Hikaru picked up the phone worried out of his mind, terrified that his brother wouldn't answer at all, that something had happened to both him and Haruhi and that he'd lost both his closest friends in one fell swoop.

"Well, I got jealous of that Arai guy, Haruhi's middle-school friend. He showed up while we were shopping, and offered us a lift back here." Hikaru's tone was still irritated and dismissive, but then his head fell again, and he sounded ashamed and embarrassed instead, his former bravado gone, "I stalked off, and Haruhi must have run after me instead of getting in the car. She got caught in the storm and ran to the church to hide."

"How could you?" Kaoru, against his better judgement, had to ask the question, even though he knew the answer. Hikaru, even if he didn't know it yet, cared more for Haruhi than for almost anyone else, and while he acted all grown-up and smart, he was really very immature underneath. He was a spoilt child, and he got jealous very easily.

"I was upset. I found her curled up under the table, and gave her my mp3 to cover the thunder noise. She knew it was me before I even said anything."

"Well, are you two okay now?"

"Yeah, Haruhi doesn't hold a grudge, and we did get back alright in the end."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Why did you ask?" Hikaru asked after a moment, looking up, straight into his brother's identical face.

"Oh, I was just curious." Kaoru waved it off with a laugh and a casual grin, even though the tiny knot in his stomach was still there, niggling away at him. "Come on, let's get packing, the boss has a car coming to get us in two hours, and we're not even half way done."


End file.
